A dinner at Mosman’s Me-Gal with two small children didn’t go according to plan

A recent dinner at Mosman’s fine dining restaurant Me-Gal with two small children didn’t go according to plan … here’s why.

Kids in restaurants.

Like where to store your Vegemite and whether to over or under-hang the toilet paper, it’s one of those subjects that can divide Australians like nothing else.

Well, at the risk of alienating half the readers, count me firmly in the “kids belong in restaurants” camp.

And if restaurant owners are smart, they’ll hop on the little red wagon.

Here’s why.

Recently I accepted an invitation to dine at Me-Gal, the fine dining restaurant at Taronga Zoo.

Me-Gal restaurant, located within the elegant Wildlife Retreat at Taronga, has just opened to the public.

Previously the restaurant was used exclusively by guests at the zoo’s Wildlife Retreat, but it’s come under new management from the Trippas White Group and they’ve opened up the venue – along with the spectacular views of Sydney – to the public.

However, that wasn’t the only reason why I wanted to try the restaurant. It’s because they invited my two children to dine with me. In fact, they encouraged it.

My children are four and three and I’ve never taken them to “nice” restaurant. I know, cry me a river, right? But to be honest I get nervous taking them to a cafe for a babycino for fear of the looks you can get from fellow diners. I mean, for Mother’s Day’s last year my friends and I went out to lunch … without our children … to ensure that both we and the other diners had an enjoyable experience.

A quick google of Me-Gal showed me there was no play equipment inside (normally a prerequisite for dining with children!) and while the restaurant is surrounded by a literal zoo, the famous bird show doesn’t take place at 5.30pm on table one.

So was I mad to take them to this fine dining restaurant?

Do children belong in fine dining restaurants?

The answer, was no.

Why?

Here was a venue that treated my little people, well, like people. Their presence was acknowledged and their needs met. The waiters knew that hungry kids are generally not happy kids, so took their order first. And before I had finished asking if it was possible if the pasta could come with sauce on the side (for my plain eater) the waiter added they would put the cheese there too.

Another friendly waiter brought over some colouring books and pencils and then, what’s more, genuinely interacted with my kids and asked what they were drawing (so much so that my daughter ended up making this lovely server a card!)

Because my little people were treated so wonderfully, they in turn were their best selves and were utterly engrossed in their pasta, ice cream and card making. Which meant I got to slowly, and peacefully, enjoy my 12-hour, slow roasted lamb shoulder with heirloom carrots, lime and mint and a beautiful glass of 2019 Kilikanoon Prodigal Grenache.

I recommend going to Me-Gal for the lamb – and the way they treat their customers (no matter how small!)

I get why some restaurateurs might not like kids, and I’m not suggesting a family outing to Quay every week. And if it was tantrums and meltdowns all around I would have pulled the pin because restaurants aren’t daycare centres.

But the fact is little ones often don’t have perfect table manners and they are unlikely to call for a magnum of the restaurant’s best Burgundy out of the cellar. But it is nice to see children being treated not as burdens but as valued guests.

And today’s junior diners will become tomorrow’s paying customers.

More generally speaking, Europeans don’t see children as a burden and welcome them into venues. The Mouth recounts a story of dining at a two Michelin starred venue in rural France years ago and was next to a table that had a toddler … and a dachshund!

So in an international city like Sydney where many parents don’t have family available to babysit for an evening, meaning a night out at that “nice” restaurant involves adding in the cost of a babysitter, perhaps the only option for parents who might want a break every now and then is to bring children to restaurants.

And isn’t that the definition of true hospitality when a venue can cater to all types of customers?